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As dust gets swept away by footsteps of the newly arrived, a few pick pen and ink to dribble on recent developments. Many have perished on this path, many might never attempt it. “A man goes to knowledge as he goes to war: wide-awake, with fear, with respect, and with absolute assurance. Going to knowledge or going to war in any other manner is a mistake, and whoever makes it might never live to regret it†-- Carlos Castañeda, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge You have accessed Aeri's battle log, and are welcome to give input or press for oath keeping. Much love, - Aeri

Man oh man. I've had my second challenge ready since before the forum was open and I'm just now getting it on here. o.o Damn procrastination monster. Sooo basically I'm getting ready for a Tough Mudder Half in August. I'm starting from square one. I want to, I guess, get some good habits in place this month to help propel me the rest of the way. In addition I also have studying and talking with y'all here. Statistic Quest Progress Strength Workout 0 / 8 Dexterity Yoga 0 / 8 Stamina “Running” 0 / 8 Constitution Food Diary 0 / 22 Wisdom Study 0 / 3360 Charisma Post in the Forums 0 / 28

Miw-Sher looked up from her diary and scratched her head. Geez, this was hard. She had been training solo for about a month now, trying to build enough discipline to finally join the Academy. Past experiences in training with the Rebels had ended up with her getting distracted, or trying too much too soon in eagerness to be able to keep up with the group. So, after leaving her home in Riverock due to being unable to practice her trade and once her broken foot had healed, she had decided to train alone, one step at a time, until she was ready. Then the winter had taken its toll, she had fallen ill, and only managed to pull through thanks to a couple of Members of the Rebellion, who found her and helped her work her way back to health. Once again, going alone had proved to be a horrible idea. So when it came down to taking a decision on whether to hang around or go off solo again, Miw decided to stay put. There was one condition, however, that applied to all members who wanted to stay long-term in the Rebellion: Miw-Sher had to keep a battle log and report in every day. She had to keep track of her progress, her adventures and her achievements in her trade. And damn, was this hard. * * * I am starting a battle log to keep myself accountable on a day to day basis. The challenges as great for setting short-term, SMART goals, but they do not help me with my biggest issue: daily accountability and constancy. Thing is, while in life I am very successful at sprints, I fail at playing it like a marathon. This is also why I chose The Neverending Story as a title* - aside from it possibly being the book I hold dearest from my childhood - because it is a reminder that a story does not end just because a chapter is closed, and that one tale will spawn others that must be pursued as well. It is also a great metaphor in keeping what really matters in sight, and not getting lost or distracted by things that may make you happy now, but destroy you on the long term. Also, it provides me a great template for the Role Play/Real Life parallel. Hoping I got the colours right (I haven't opened to book in years): green is the colour Miw-Sher's story will be told in, red is my own daily update. I am hoping for this to not become a way of keeping accountability, but also a way to reflect on my day in a more distant, impartial way. How was Miw-Sher's day, in which ways did she act well, and in which ways should she have acted differently? There is obviously more to write in here, more details to put, an introduction to be made. Those will come. Consider this the "Front Page", "Prologue" or "Summary" that will be regularly updated as time passes. You can also find my current workout routine and a summary of my goals here. *hoping nobody picked it yet... * * * Goal: establishing a constant, daily rythm that balances work and fitness to attain mental and physical health. - Current Workout Routine (TBA)

Spring is in full bloom! It's warm outside, the grass is getting greener, the trees are getting shoots, and I feel ready to also warm up and start blooming. Part of that entails learning to overcome my social anxiety and become more comfortable with talking with random people. Another important part is learning to ground myself and take in rest and nourishment when needed, so that I remain centered on what is important and don't become distracted or obsessed with the wrong things. My Current State I'm 33 years old, 5'4", married with a daughter and two dogs. Measurements as of 3/14/2016: Weight: 125 lbs Neck: 13" Chest: 34" Biceps: 11" Waist (at smallest): 28" Stomach (at biggest): 32" Hips (at smallest): 32" Butt (at biggest): 38.5" Thighs: 21" Calves: 14" Habits to continue: Prepare meals ahead of time on Sundays Maintain an exercise log Maintain a mostly Paleo diet Continue working out two or three times a week Eventual goals: 10 full push-ups, 10 full chin-ups, 10 full pull-ups Continue walking, doing yoga, and occasionally jogging Challenges and Goals I had started a new job at the beginning of April, and now I feel that I'm starting to get comfortable there. Getting used to that routine, along with trying to meet my exercise and nutrition goals, I find that the following are my biggest challenges at the moment: 1. Energy and time management. During the week, I want to reduce the feeling of getting increasingly tired and needing to artificially manage my energy with coffee or tea. I want to feel relaxed in the morning and not feel rushed. I want to feel happy and energetic in the evening and present and available for my family. Start the food log again (I find that more and more non-Paleo food is slipping in) Prepare lunch bag the night before and get breakfast as lined up as possible Start bedtime routine by 9:30 pm, in bed by 10:00 pm Wake up at 6:00 am or earlier, choosing any of the following: workout, yoga, walk, run, meditation, journal Do short bursts of activity at work at least twice a day (brisk walk, run up flights of stairs, warm-up exercises) Prepare a two-minute stretching cheat sheet and do stretches several times a day Have tea instead of coffee (have caffeine-free options available), and have dairy substitute instead of dairy Keep a log at work that tracks when I avoid temptation and when I give in 2. Procrastination and avoidance. I have a growing list of things to take care of that I'm putting off, and I'm feeling like I'm stuck in a bog. A part of this has to do with my social anxiety, because some of the tasks involve making phone calls, which I dislike doing. Make a list of what needs to be done, prioritize them, set deadlines, and schedule them Include things I would really like to do but never get around to doing Write down the benefits of doing these things Plan to do three things every week (unless real-life deadlines require a higher frequency) Plan some positive and negative reinforcement to help with this 3. Parenting and quality family time. My 10-year-old daughter needs more attention, things to do (besides Minecraft), training in real-life skills, and responsibility. My hubby needs more attention, time together, and date nights / weekends. Technically these fall into the category of things I'm putting off, but they're important enough to get their own focus. Plan family outings and dates Read about allowances and make an allowance and chore plan Develop a weekly checklist for chores and personal care Set limits on daily device time and follow through Plan and schedule times to hang out with friends Forward articles about puberty, mood swings, depression, stress management, and meditation Identify a skill to develop and explore it together Decide on summer camps (if any) Make some meals together 4. Lack of balance and inner peace. I've been feeling the swings of anxiety, depression, and the effects of my coping, numbing, and distraction mechanisms. I want to develop a priority to focus on inner orientation, centering, and grounding. Maintain a daily journal practice Log when I am acting compulsively or in avoidance and journal my thoughts and feelings at the time Make a conscious effort to look at people and smile when I go for a walk When feeling busy or anxious, take some time to just sit and be, without devices Go barefoot whenever possible, and try walking barefoot outside At the moment, I'm deliberately avoiding being overly specific with goals, in terms of frequency and deadlines, because an important part of this challenge is finding balance and calm, which I'd like to try and explore with a "listen to what is going on for me right now" kind of an approach. For example, last weekend, my family went on a trip to the cabin, and we went right into the week from there, and I felt like I started out tired and just got more and more fatigued as the week progressed. This weekend, I haven't done a lot of anything. I took my daughter to meet a friend at the science museum, but aside from that, I've been hanging out at home and not accomplishing much. As guilty as I feel about that, it also feels like I'm really getting some rest that I need (any my hubby says that Mother's Day is the perfect excuse to take it easy). :-) On another note, I found today that the NF Academy site still has the old workouts posted in a side link on the main page, and so I think I'm going to graduate to the old Level 3 Bodyweight workout and use the progressions from the newer site until I can do the full exercise, so I'm excited to try that.

I've been absent for a while, and the things that happened while I was absent have led me to return with a lot of changes regarding how I approach fitness, so it's time to start a new Battle Log. While I was gone, I spent 6 months working with a holistic nutritionist. It was challenging and ultimately rewarding work. I learned a lot about the power of mindfulness and meditation. I learned that when I am under stress, I tend to get out of balance very quickly. Also, I learned that when I'm in a time of great creativity where I'm inspired to put forth a lot of energy on my art, I get out of balance. Those 6 months were great, having the personal support of a nutritionist daily. But then a great amount of stress was introduced to my life, and guess what? I got out of balance. Way out of balance. I felt so lost that I went to get a tarot card reading. And the reader told me I was out of balance (well, that wasn't surprising, was it?). He also advised me to let go of some of the burdens I am carrying and be a better judge of how much I can carry at once. He said my values and goals were in the right place, but the execution was off. It made me realize that that's pretty much the story of my life; tons of good intentions, but a poor plan (if any plan at all) on the execution. It's no wonder that I'm so easily pushed out of balance. So, right now I'm in the early stages of crafting a plan to get back into balance. I'd like to have the first phase planned out in time for the next six week challenge. I'm also going to join the Druids during that challenge, because it's pretty clear that my goals are much more Druid-oriented this time around. Here are the things I need that I will build my goals around: Sleep. Sleep is the first thing I sacrifice to overwork, or to creativity, or to stress. It makes each of those things worse, not better. I need to get enough sleep everyday, and the rest of my schedule must get out of the way of my sleep instead of the other way around. Mindfulness and meditation. Once sleep is restored, I need to set aside space for daily reflection. Currently I write Morning Pages in a journal every day, but I need to make that time sacred and truly do them first thing in the morning, which is the intention. I need time for meditation as well, perhaps after work each day, or before bed in order to wind down. Eating right. I need to give up processed food as entirely as is possible. I need to eat out only socially, during my weekly Artist's Dates if that's part of the date, and when travelling (I am currently in the habit of bringing food with me when I travel, but local cuisine is part of the joy of traveling, and being at Balance definitely means taking in joy. But of course, my dining out choices can also be good choices). I also need to be eating at least 5 fruits and veggie servings a day, with an emphasis on veg. I need to eat a variety of veg, rather than just relying on the same favorites over and over. I need to eat nuts daily. I need real whole grains (brown rice, millet, and oats; not processed foods labeled "whole grain"). Honey instead of sugar. I need easy meal prep as well, because the thing that makes me give up healthy eating habits is usually time. I need to exercise daily, at least five days a week. I need to get outdoors for exercise when I can. I need to start exploring good places in my area for hikes and long walks. I need to work on ways to exercise even during difficult times. I tend to sacrifice exercise right after I sacrifice sleep when I'm stressed and time is at a minimum. I need to work on my art regularly. I'm an amateur leather worker, and so I need training time to build my skill. I need to work on orders I currently have, and on building up stock for an online shop. I need to make things I've never made before in order to get the experience. I also need scheduled play time where I just experiment with dye and tools, with the freedom to fail, to see what may come out of it. I also need to find a way to balance exercise and art. Usually I feel like one of these crowds the other out, as if art and exercise are at war with each other. I need a peace agreement between art and exercise. They need to live in harmony. I need to examine the burdens I place on myself that throw me out of balance. Why do I do that? What can I do to stop? How do I do a better job of saying no, or asking for help, or simply acknowledging that I'm making things harder than they need to be? It's a lot, right? But I've declared myself a Jedi Apprentice, and I'm starting the work here and now (apologies for the color coding if it's unpleasant for you to look at; I'm doing it to make the categories easier for me to separate when I reference back to this post). First off, sleep. I need to get to bed at 11 on work nights. On weekends, I need to get 7 - 8 hours of sleep, even if I stayed up late. This is my most concrete goal right now. Secondly, I need to audit my use of time, because clearly time is my biggest issue. It is lack of time that makes me do a poor job of balancing my life. If I were using my time wisely, for example, I wouldn't feel like there's no way I can both have time for art and for exercise. (Fun fact: if I could have a super power, it would be the power of multiplicity. I would be able to multiply into multiple selves. I would also be able to come back to a single body at will, and then absorb the knowledge of what the multiple selves did that day into a single consciousness. This would enable me to get a lot more done without time being a limit. As you can see, I've put a lot of thought into this. This is how obsessed I am with wishing I had more time). After that, I will work on a schedule for mindfulness, exercise, and art. I'm also going to be spending a lot of time looking at time saving ways to get good food easily. I've started making green smoothies, and they are great! It's a really quick way to get a couple of servings of fruit and veg all at once. I'm also going to look into gathering more slow cooker recipes and things I can cook ahead that leave-over well or perhaps can be used for multiple leftover meals. Sorry for the lengthy essay; this first post is mostly to set myself a starting point to reference back to. The quest for Balance begins here!

This is my first challenge with the Rebellion and I'm excited! I start a new job on April 4th, so this is a great opportunity to add extra support and accountability to maintain the good habits I've started while off work. My Story Since childhood, I've struggled with depression and anxiety, and I recently went on sick leave because of stress at work. My body was weak, out of shape, and I had back, neck and shoulder issues. My journey is to become fit, flexible, strong, mentally balanced, and to go on adventures like the heroes in my favourite movies, books, and games. My long-term goals can be found at my character page here: https://www.nerdfitness.com/character/55351/ My Current State I'm 33 years old, 5'4", married with a daughter and two dogs. Measurements as of 3/14/2016: Weight: 129 lbs Neck: 13" Chest: 35" Biceps: 11" Waist: 28.5" Hips: 34" Butt: 39" Thighs: 20.5" Calves: 14" My Progress So Far Since joining the Academy on March 14, 2016, I have made the following achievements: Started a food log Started an exercise/workout log Moved to Paleo Level 7 diet Completed three workouts at Bodyweight Level 1 (twice a week schedule) Completed two NF Yoga videos Started going to Tai Chi classes Exercising at least once a day Going for longer walks regularly (about an hour) Progressed from doing knee pushups with sloppy form and taking breaks to doing 10 knee pushups with proper form Meditated occasionally My Goals April 1 - April 30, 2016 Habits to Maintain Paleo Level 7 diet Bodyweight workouts twice a week Yoga workouts twice a week Walking every day Food log Exercise log Tai chi classes at least once a week Goal 1 - Prepare for Success Prepare work lunches for the week the weekend before Supplies needed: enough containers for a week of food, cooking supplies For each week (total of 100 points): 25 points for preparing food the weekend before If food was not prepared the weekend before: 5 points each day that food was prepared the night before 3 points each day that food was prepared the morning before 2 points each day that food was bought that fit the Paleo diet Reward: 75-100 points: Steak and/or sashimi supper Goal 2 - Get My Om On Meditate for at least 5 minutes every day Reward: 25-30 days: Get a meditation cushion Goal 3 - Work That Body Complete three bodyweight workouts every week Graduate to Bodyweight Level 2 when ready (can complete entire workout in good form) Bonus 25 XP in Epic Quest Possible 12 workouts Reward: 9-12 workouts: Pull-up bar and new workout shirt 6-8 workouts: Pull-up bar Goal 4 - Let's Get Flexible Complete three yoga sessions every week (30 minutes and up) Possible 12 yoga sessions Reward: 9-12 yoga sessions: Float tank & new water bottle 6-8 yoga sessions: New water bottle

Slow down. Breathe. Take your time. Use discipline to make that time. While I succeeded the last challenge, I did so flying through it without a minute to reflect upon my process, my goals, my achievements. I was also never able to check in here because of how busy my days were. I can't say I was stressed, but I regret not making time to check in with the people supporting me here and my friends in real life. I also found myself falling into the old pattern again of not being able to sustain routines. Mostly because as I added building stones to my fitness, these became more and more complicated/ Then came the question of - I have a knee routine, but if my current daily challenge also includes a leg routine, do I do both? The solution then, was to sit down, break down my goals into even smaller pieces, until I could determine the single elements that were important to me, and from there, build a new challenge. I also want to make my life goals my priority over fitness, meaning that I won't add anything to my physical practice this month. I will just work on solidifying existing habits. Fitness Goal: Make fitness an integral part of my daily life to ensure better health and well-being. Goal 1: Morning routine: Wake up at 6h30 Meditate 5 Minute Mobility Drills 5 Minute Balancing Practice Intermediate Knee Routine + 1 of the following: Strength, Cardio, Yoga Do not start any daily task until scheduled. Use any leftover time for yourself. Goal 2: Evening routine: + 1 of the following: Foundation Work, Yoga Intermediate Knee Routine 30 Day Meditation Challenge Go to bed by 22h30 Goal 3: Lunch Break: +1 of the following: Walk, Foundation Work Life goal: Master self-discipline without neglecting the people I love Goal 1: Battling the Monkey Level 2 Goal 2: Do not isolate yourself Update Daily Log Check into challenge forums once a week Call home once a week Goal 3: Walk towards success Work on main project daily Apply to at least five internships and jobs Goal 4: Leisure One evening per week will be dedicated to reading only Sunday is a rest day.

"You must push yourself beyond your limits, all the time. The only possible course that a warrior has is to act consistently and without reservations. You know enough of the warrior's way to act accordingly, but your old habits and routines stand in your way." --Carlos Castañeda, Tales of Power. In the struggle to follow the Way of the Warrior (druidic lore) so to be strong enough to become a Lord of Knowledge, stable foundations must be built. Beginning by forging a sword of willpower through discipline. This challenge is about setting up rituals that help me make progress. I've been aimlessly wandering for a long time, even though I had a slight idea of what I truly wanted in life. As an apprentice here, I believe now's the perfect time to get a grip and follow my path. For that, I must first work on the basics: Ritual Morning: daily - Up on time [7:00 AM] - Workout: 10 min warmup, 10-30 min workout, 10 min stretch & cooldown. Pomodoro rhythms, while being productive, daily. Meditate 5 min daily. Tai Chi & Qi Gong once a week. Ritual Night: daily - Review goals, add notes, fill in my battle log. - In bed on time [10:25 PM] Evaluate physical stats once, on the 4th week, for reference: This is here because I won't do it otherwise - Time it takes to run 2.4km - Amount of full pushups, amount of full dips, controlled dead hang duration - Duration I'm able to hold plank positions: plank, lift each arm, each leg, alternates arm+leg, plank. - Amount of burpees done in 28 secs - Body fat and muscle percentage Grading: A "With Honors" = All done, all 4 weeks A > = 90% (or 3 weeks 4 days) B > = 80% (or 3 weeks 1 day) C > = 70% (or 2 weeks 5 days) D > = 60% (or 2 weeks 2 days) F < = 59.9% (or 2 weeks 1 day) ---- RESULTS ----

Possible DAO spoilers I recently picked my specialization and I really want to do all the cool things assassins do. That is, without stabbing myself in some body part that inevitably will get in the way. I've longed to start a new adventure, put my skills to use, learn new ones and I have a plan! Well sort of... I have a great family, don't get me wrong but sometimes you just need to get out. So after following Duncan (he's this super cool Grey Warden that's been hanging around) and asking if I could tag along with him, he finally relented! His only condition is that I have to join the Grey Wardens. I'm pretty sure that's what he said! Of course I jumped at the chance. I mean it's the Grey freaking Wardens! I’ll get to travel with them, better my assassin skills, and stab stabby stab darkspawn, why would I say no? Our adventure starts in Ostagar, where we will join the King’s army in fighting back the darkspawn and stopping the Blight. Before I join the fight, I need to take care of a few things, like getting ready for battle, actually doing the joining and stuff like that. Easy Peasy. Ostagar - Warden beginnings Ostagar is my first stop to becoming a legendary Grey Warden. Who knows where we will go after we stop the darkspawn!!! So freaking excited! Creating my Warden : First, every Thursday I will weigh myself, as well as take measurements on the first and last day of the challenge. I’m hoping to start gaining some awesome muscles and I’d like to see how my body changes. Second I will make sure I take care of my needs. Living on the road is a dirty place and I need to remember to wash the blood and grime off my face every night. An assassin can’t stink or it would give me away, although mud would help me blend in….no no no I’ve lived a sheltered life and I’ll not give up this one comfort! At least not yet. Life Quest : Weigh-In/Measurements Thursday Wash Face every morning and night Grading Overall - How many days : A 26, B 23-25, C 19-22, D 18, F 0 Complete the Joining : In order to tag along with Duncan, the super cool Grey Warden I mentioned before, I have to complete the joining. He is sending myself, Alistair (another Grey Warden who is totally cute but sort of a half-wit), and the other recruits out to collect enough darkspawn blood for all the recruits in order to complete the joining. We also need to see about finding some Grey Warden Treaties that are somewhere in the wild. Food Quest : Drink 4 cups or more of water M-F. I will collect 1 Darkspawn Blood for each completed week (weeks 1-3). After drinking the required amount for week 4 (20 cups : 4x5), I will get the last ingredient, Lyrium, for the joining. Then I’ll be required to use Darkspawn Blood & Lyrium for whatever Duncan needs us to use it for. I maybe a little naive but this isn’t looking that good... Grading Overall - A: 3 Darkspawn Blood & Bottle of Lyrium Or F: Not getting required amount Ready for Battle : Like I mentioned earlier, I’m sort of new at this assassin thing but I have a lot of natural talent, Duncan says so. While we are preparing for the upcoming battle, I might as well get some training in. I’m going to have to work on my endurance in order to not hold back the rest of the Grey Wardens while we travel. While I’m training I should also work on leaning out and building some muscles. Exercise Quest : 1 Elliptical HIIT & 1 Yoga a week Bodyweight Workout 2x a week Grading Overall- A: 4 training sessions Or F: 3 > training sessions

I am typing this up in a rush since I need to be at a friend's in an hour for study purposes and likely won't be able to check in for the weekend. So, this will be my first guild challenge. Well, I hung out with the Adventurers two challenges ago, when it was still slightly less defined in its purposes, but that challenge was cut short by moving countries and never saw an end. So... I am really excited, this is a big step. Tags system based on: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/77949-incipient-order-of-taggers-lets-hack-the-tag-system-for-good/ I love the idea, go support htem. *SPACE SAVED FOR INTRODUCTORY BLURB* Overall Goal: Incorporate fitness in my daily life. Like many technomancers, I spend hours at a time sitting in front of a computer, a trait that is exacerbated by the fact that my particular trade involves 3D modeling and animation, which means hours at a time can easily mean 10-14 hours depending on the project I am currently working on. I have already started feeling the effects, and I don't think anything but daily exercise is going to counteract them. [Goal 1] : Balancing Include 10 minutes of handstand practice and support practice in my daily routine. I have been ignoring this part of the Reddit Recommended Routine that I am currently following. I had planned to include it in my daily routine rather than as a workout, but that has not happened yet. For handstand, I will start with crow practice. Moving on to handstand once I manage to hold a crow for 30 seconds or more. [Goal 2]: 30 Days of Change I have been focussing on bodyweight strength and building up a routine for the past couple of months, now I wish to incorporate running into it. I really love the feeling running gives me, and I have sorely missed it. To build this up, will be following Darebee's 30 Days of Change. POSTPONED: due to an excessively charged timetable, I will be waiting to finish Foundations before doing hits one. [Goal 3]: Eat Your Protein I eat realtively healthily thanks to a lifetime of conditioning in the form of my mom. However, due to family history, we don't consume much meat, and this combined with being tight on finances these months, means I am not getting nearly enough protein as I should. Since getting enough protein is something I find hard in first place (the idea of eating meat at every meal, which would be the easiest way, is just... really foreign to me... I don't even eat meat once a day, and red meat is even rarer) and i am not used to working meat, tofu and fish (which are luxury good here) in my budget, I will start with hitting a protein goal three days a week. In short: eat 103g of protein at least three days a week. [Life Goal]: Discipline Beat procrastination and distraction. I have come up with a reward system where I give myself points every time I get to work when I should and don't muck about or procrastinate my tasks. I can then spend these points to award myself time off, holiday, etc. (Aside from scheduled rest days and breaks that are already in my schedule - I DO have those, do not worry) The point system goes as follows: Points Gained: 1 pt: every hour I work on a scheduled task without distractions 0,5 pts: every hour I work on a scheduled task but have other stuff going on int he Background; e.g; Facebook or Better Call Saul. 5pts: waking up without snoozing. Rewards: 25pts: Small Reward (watch one episode of a favourite series/muck about for an hour) 100pts: Big Reward (Day off, Spa Treatment, etc.) 1000 pts: One Week Holiday. Easy enough, no? Ah! But there is a catch - every hour I procrastinate, my opponent; the Evil Monkey that is also harassing Briniel, gets 5 points. And if at the end of the week the Monkey has more points than I do - well, I haven't decided wet what will happen, but something will happen! That is all, see you all soon!

Yeah Assassining isn't a word but whatever. I am so bad at Topic titles and it's better than Jonesy's 2nd Challenge. Haha. Sort of nervous to post here but here it goes. My name is Tiffany. My friends call me Tiff, Jonesy, Mrs. Bilbo Baggins, or Hobbit. This is my first big adventure outside of the Rebels or the Adventurer guild. Little backstory. I’ve been attempting to get healthy for the last 3 or 4 years. I have not been able to find something that makes me keep with it though and it’s starting to piss me off. I want to find something fitness related that makes me want to be active. I’m fitness shy and get incredibly self conscious when trying new things. I’d really like to be able to do a handstand or some of those fancy push ups and this “most of all we are determined to be the masters of our own bodies†is a huge reason why I gravitated towards the Assassins. Long Term Quest : Over the course of the next 2 years I want to lose 100-150lbs, become more flexibly and learn to do some awesome things with my body. Main Quest: For my second challenge, my main quest is to strengthen my body. I want to focus on doing bodyweight workouts, so hello Assassins! Exercise/Food Quests: 1. Go to the gym and do yoga at least 1 time each, each week. This is practically the same quest as last time but I’m adding in yoga as well. I want to start using my gym reimbursement for rewards so I need to keep at this. There is no good reason I should not be doing this!!! Gym : Elliptical + Stretching Yoga : Yoga For Beginners - 40 Minute Home Yoga Workout or something else if I find one I like better. Grading : A 4+, B 3, C 2, D 1, F 0 Character Points : 25 points (6.25 points each week) 2. Do 2 bodyweight or resistance band workouts each week. TRACKING I have not done bodyweight workouts in a long time so I feel I will struggle with this in the beginning. Warm Up: 2 songs jog in place, 8 Stretches Your Tight Hips Are Begging For Assassins Workout - In honor of moving over to the Assassins guild! Resistance Band Workout 5 min cool down/stretching Grading - How many days I did bodyweight workouts during the challenge : A 8+, B 5-7, C 2-4, D 1, F 0 Character Points : 30 points (7.5 points each week) 3. Track Food everyday. Either write it down or input into Myfitnesspal. I need to get back into the habit of knowing how much I actually eat. I bought a kitchen scale and I’m going to see if measuring some of my food helps will controlling my intake. Grading - How many days did I track : A 25+, B 18-24, C 13-17, D 10-13, F 0-9 Character Points : 35 points Life Quest: 1. Knit at least 50+ rows My main life goal is to read 4 books a month and that won’t change but I have some additional life quests that I’ve been slacking on. I’ve been working on this scarf for my friend for almost 2 years. I’m so horribly slow and have other things to do that it gets pushed to the back burner. I am committed to finishing this damn scarf within the next few challenges. I won’t be starting ANYTHING creative like knitting or painting until this scarf is done! I’m so close too. If I end up finishing this quests early, yippie! Possible books this challenge : Night Seeker, Blood Rites, Parasitology Series, The Diabolical Miss Hyde , Black Widow, Fifth Grave past the Light, & Written in Red Grading : A 50+ or F 0 Character Points : 10

Hey guys, so, after failing my last challenge and going on a fitness hiatus, I decided to have a go at this again. I haven't been completely fitness-less. My eating habits are as decent as they can be on a minimal budget, and I have managed to keep up Reddit's Bodyweight routine for a month now. I have also been doing some of Darebee's challenges and am really looking forward to the moment I can take upon some of their tougher ones. However, at a 14-hour workday rhythm, it has been really hard to pick up the pace, so I am turning to Nerdfitness again to motivation. I have seriously missed the community. I have seen that quite a few things have changed here, so I feel a bit lost. I will try and catch up and check in at least once every couple days to report on my progress. My overarching goal is: Achieve a consistent fitness routine, with small exercises done daily. My future career will involve sitting 10-12 hours a day. I NEED to include daily exercise in that. Goal 1: Strength Training 3x a week. This will predominantly be Reddit's Bodyweight workout. However, given that I will be home at my parent's a couple of weeks, I may choose a circuit instead if it is more practical. The key for me is to not lose the rythm. Goal 2: Incorporate Darebee's Foundation Programme into my morning routine Link: http://darebee.com/programs/foundation-program.html Goal 3: Knee Pain Routine I have had increasing knee pain since I stopped working out. Part of this was due to a pair of shoes I have now ejected from my home, but part of it definitely has to do with loss of muscle mass and constant sitting. I have no idea why, but I swear it gets worse when I sit for long periods of time. So, the plan is now to do this routine twice a day: (For those interested this is the website I used to put the routine together: http://www.knee-pain-explained.com/knee-pain-exercises.html) Beginner Routine: Straight Leg Raise Glute Bridge Kick Backs Heel Raises Sit to Stand (also a great warm-up/drill for squats) Additionally, do this every 20-30 minutes of sitting: Long Arcs Knee Marching Life Goal: Adulting: Part 1/1: Empty my To Do list. - Register somewhere as a resident (long story) - Retrieve my Bachelor (long story) - Set up a CV - Make list of possible internships - Finish building IKEA bed - Bank business Part 2/2: Finances - Set aside 100 € - Pay off all loans

I've been reading Steve's new book, and figure it's time to level up my life. I've participated in challenges before, but I've let myself rebound so far that I feel it's time to reinvent myself from level 1. I've also been reading the Throne of Glass book series, by Sarah J. Mass. I've realized that as heroes and their journeys go, I really admire assassin characters, not for the bloodshed they cause, but for their dexterity, grace, proficiency, creativity, intelligence, awareness, and self-awareness, as well as the intense training, determination, and dedication it took for them to achieve those things. To that end, I, Lag a'mhuilin, set out on my hero's journey, an assassin in training. This is my story: DrCalcart lives a humble existence as a geeky web designer. Every work day he rolls out of bed and gets ready, arriving late by anyone's standards. He's lucky he has a boss who genuinely doesn't care about hours as long as the work is getting done. Doc spends work time in his fabric-walled, open-air office jumping between Facebook, Reddit, and actual work. He's lucky to be able to divide the work day around a two-mile walk with friends and participation in short fitness sessions three times a week. After work, DrCalcart spends wastes hours playing video games, cooking and eating (or going out to get) dinner, continuing to bounce between Facebook and Reddit, watching streaming media, and reading. He goes to sleep without a sense of fulfillment of purpose, having made no personal progress. It's a humble existence, but that's just it. Doc is tired of merely existing. He wants to really live, to thrive even. Enter the Wise Old Man [don't say that to his face!], the "ridiculously good-looking, clever, and modest mentor" [apprentices have to use the full title], Steve, King of the Non-Violent Assassins' Guild. Steve saw something in DrCalcart—a sparkle in the eye that bespoke courage and passion, maybe a glimmer of potential—and agreed to train him. "DrCalcart," he intoned on the first day of training, "your first lesson is this: there are those may seek to hinder or destroy you for who you are to become. To shield yourself and those you love you must choose a new name, take on a new identity, but choose wisely, for names have a heft and significance beyond their constituent characters. In the course of training, you will be torn down and rebuilt until your new name becomes you and you it.†“I—I think I understand, Master,†Doc stammered in reply. And he looked within himself, around his room, and online, and proclaimed that henceforth he would be known as Lag a’mhuilin. Upon hearing that, Steve promptly broke the fourth wall, looked to the camera, his aforementioned ridiculously good-looking face scrunched Gollum-esquely in utter disbelief, and rasped, “WHAT?!...†You see, His Cleverness knew that “Lag a’mhuilin†was Scottish Gaelic for “hollow by the mill,†and in fact the name origin of the single malt scotch, Lagavulin. “...WHAT?! I said ‘names have heft and significance,’ and you name yourself after a SCOTCH?!†“Not just any scotch,†Doc—Lag a’mhuilin protested, “It’s Ron Swanson’s favorite scotch! But really, if you must know, Lagavulin was my gateway scotch, years before Parks and Rec. It represents a moment when I was open to trying something new and shocked and delighted to find layers of complexity. It speaks of adventure and discovery, of an appreciation of history and craftspersonship, of risk and reward. It’s downright poetic if you ask me. What’s more, the word “hollow†itself has many layers. A hollow is a hole—a depression or concavity. It's defined by what it isn’t. Hollow is the absence of meaning, of being, of ego, a place of stillness, and emptiness. It's a state of limitless potential. The mill can be a metaphor for training, so I stand here before you, hollow by mill.†Steve had to concede. He continued, nonplussed: “Right. Well...um...each step of your training will build upon the last. Your first task is to know thyself. You will spend the first three months among the druids. I expect you to become one of them, to learn their ways. They must never suspect what you really are. You will meditate daily. Learn to be aware of your senses and of your surroundings. Teach yourself to be mindful and present in your interactions with others. Rein in stray thoughts…†1st Quest: Mindfulness (25 xp) Meditate for at least 15 minutes every dayWhen walking alone try to think only of what can be perceived by the sensesWhen interacting with others truly listen and respond instead of thinking forward to the next topicBe observant “…You also need to begin to hone your body. Work on strength, flexibility, balance, and dexterity…†2nd Quest: Conditioning (24 xp) Attend at least two yoga classes per week, one for flexibility, and one strenuous, challenging one.Perform at least two strength-training workouts per week. “…Finally, you must give your body the nourishment it needs to be healthy…†3rd Quest: Food (26 xp) 4 weeks of full paleo. I’ve done it before, and I can do it again.At the end of four weeks, honestly assess how I feel and how easy or difficult it is to maintain. “…Lag a’mhuilin, these areas of study represent the foundation of your assassin training. In order even to be considered for full membership in the Non-Violent Assassins’ Guild, you must demonstrate steadfast determination and discipline. Over time you may be rewarded with freedom and flexibility, but not until you have truly earned it. You will not miss a workout, find an excuse not to meditate, or cheat on your diet.†“Sure thing, Master Steve,†Lag replied. “I can do anything for four weeks! I do, however, have a few more tasks I’d like to accomplish in the first month if you don’t mind. They also follow the general theme of ‘know thyself.’†Side Quests (5xp each): Contemplate where I want to be in 5 years and what steps I would have to take to get there.Start a profile on the Level Up site. Add above steps as quests.Create a budget and follow itOpen a savings account and establish a recurring depositDetermine a personal project that will provide growth in my skill set and begin. “Good luck, Lag a’mhuilin,†His Modestness bade. “You have a long and rewarding journey ahead of you. Take your first steps with confidence and grace.â€

PKMN JOURNEY, part 1 I don't need to be the very best, but who hasn't wanted to go on an epic journey of self-development, forming relationships and overcoming challenges along the way? Grab your ball-related puns and let's get moving! Now, I don't live in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, or Sinnoh, and I have little interest in visiting Unova or Kalos. Looks like I'll have to challenge the fictional PKMN league of New York. If you're unfamiliar with the Pokemon series, that means I have to defeat the leaders of eight type-based gyms, then take on the Elite Four, finally facing the Champion. Each gym in this challenge will be based on a New York location I've visited or called home. Every trainer can carry a party of up to six critters. Three is a good number to have by the first gym, so that's how many will be hanging from my belt to start with. Of course, since this is NF, I'll choose my companions based on how they demonstrate the sort of strength, dexterity, stamina, constitution, wisdom, and charisma I'd like to emulate. STARTING PARTY: Beacon the Litwick - WIS Legato the Ralts - CHA THE CHALLENGES: tl;dr: Six pages of writing per week; Only water or occasional milk or unsweetened tea; Wheat products restricted to a maximum of three per week; Meditation of at least 5 minutes daily; Interval walking for a total of four hours. GRADING THE CHALLENGE Unfortunately, I had to drop bodyweight exercise from this challenge because of my living circumstances. Hopefully I'll be able to add it back in for March's challenge. I'll still look for opportunities for strength training this month, but they'll be off the books, so to speak. FC: 4124-6365-8699 IGN: Aranie

I debated on what to call this thread and what to write here. This isn't my first challenge but in a way it is. See I've been here before. I joined NF back in November of 2012 and did a lot of challenges. Last year I tried, emphasis on TRIED, to comeback and called it a respawn but I don't want that again. Hello 2016, goodbye old threads and old Jonesy! Long Term Quest : I can't get away from this quest until I work my butt off, literally. I can't wait until I conquer this quest but for now, losing weight is my long term quest. Over the course of the next 2 years I want to lose 150lbs. Main Quest: I want to stop wheeze every time I have to run upstairs or walk farther than normal. I want my lower back spasms from bending down, to go away. I want to be able to walk without my lower back muscles contracting and cramping. Seriously, it puts a damper on window shopping and walking 5Ks! I sort of miss doing 5Ks. Exercise/Food: 1. Go to the gym at least 4 times. M gym membership payment gets reimbursed from my work if I go 4 times a month. There is no good reason I should not be doing this. Grading : A 4+, B 3, C 2, D 1, F 0 2. Stretch and strengthen lower back, knees, arms & shoulders 2 times a week. Back in Junior High School, I had to do physical therapy for my lower back because of a sports injury. Every day I would do my stretches in Pyscial Education while all the other kids did different warm ups. Doing these again with some new stretches added in will be a great way to help with my main quest. Grading - How many days I stretched : A 8+, B 5-7, C 2-4, D 1, F 0 3. Limit soda to 1 can a day. I've been drinking way to much soda. Kind of goes hand in hand with eating poorly for me. Grading - How many days without soda : A 26+, B 18-25, C 13-17, D 10-13, F 0-9 Life: 1. Read 4 books this challenge. I'm the leader of a book club and we read 3 books a month. Last year I fell behind and have to make up on a lot of reading in order to be caught up on books this year. I currently have 9 books I need to get caught up on. I won't be making that difficult goal but I have in 1 month but I can get 4 in if I cut back on Netflix. Books : Magic Slays, Death Masks, Slave to Sensation & The Geomancer (Switched out Black Widow with Slave to Sensation because library did not get in Black Widow in time) Goodreads Profile Grading : A 4+, B 3, C 2, D 1, F 0 Starting Weight : 329 lbs

I've been looking forward to the rollover into the new challenge since I joined a few weeks ago. I'm going to keep it simple for my first go, especially since I'll be relocating during the second week. Sorry, no exciting bells and whistles here! My goals for this challenge: 1 - No more than four sugary and/or acidic beverages over the course of each week. I've fallen off the water wagon recently. Especially after I relocate in a couple of weeks, I'll have easy access soda and juice. It's easier to maintain willpower when I've got a water bottle I keep filled and at the ready. I honestly think I can knock this one out of the park for three quarters of the challenge month, but my long drive during week 2 will by necessity involve a certain amount of caffeine. 2 - No more than four processed snacks over the course of each week. I enjoy nuts, fruits, and vegetables more than chips and crackers anyway, but they're not always handy, and I'll be living around people who won't share my resolve to keep bagged snacks out of reach. I'll be going the extra mile to make sure that alternatives are available. Again, a little padding is necessary for the long drive and for occasions out with family, but I'll be doing my best to not justify cheat days. 3 - Exercise four days per week. The StartBodyweight.com workout has been good for me so far, though I've been off-and-on about it. What I like about Start Bodyweight is that several progressions are listed for each exercise, giving lots of different sliders to customize the workout. Every time I move a slider up to the next level, I get the same satisfying *ding* that used to keep me sucked into Farmville. >.> I'll be alternating strength training days with interval walking. My wonky knees and ankle don't like me running for sustained periods, at least for the time being, but I can crank out a pretty good walk. This has the added bonus of giving me a space where I have nothing distracting me from writing in my head, which ties into my life goal for this challenge: 4 - Write at least four days per week with a minimum output of eight pages. One-inch margins, double-spaced, header included, Times New Roman 12-point - standard manuscript format. That's about 330 words per page in my case. I should be about 10,500 words closer to finishing a book, or just over 10% done, by the end of the challenge. I've got about that much written already. If I can maintain this pacing, I could have a first draft out by the end of September and be ready for second-pass editing by the end of the year. I'd really like to discover that I can exceed the goal once I get into the flow of it. Measuring Each Goal, or The Mathematical Justification for Those Nifty Progress Bars in My Signature; spoilered for your convenience.

Hi There! My name is Matt and I just finished reading Level Up Your Life this weekend and jumped on here to start a challenge. I think the leveling up system plus accountability is the last ingredient I need in my recipe for success. I know it's halfway through January, but others had mentioned it was okay to start now. You can click on My Character in my signature to read a little more about me rather than rewriting everything here. Below are my goals for January. Thanks! Health: -3x Day, Move for 20 Minutes, or 90 Minutes Overall (if less than 3 times) -3x Week, Bodyweight Workout (I'll try M, W, F) -2x Day, Eye Break/Deep Breathing (to get my eyes off a screen and release some stress) Life: -1x Week, Host Hangout for Working Artists/Musicians/Creatives (working solo leads to a lot of alone time and I would like a group of creative people in similar situation to share ideas and stories with)

I am a female-bodied person who is about to turn 40. Unsurprisingly I am also a nerd, and one of fairly diverse interests. I'm happy with my weight, my diet is reasonably healthy, and I'm able-bodied and capable of doing the stuff I really need to be able to do, physically, so while I'd like to improve my stamina and strength some, my main concern is mental, not physical, fitness; I'm dealing with depression and probable (testing is in progress) AD(H)D and a lot of inertia/momentum issues. Last challenge did not go so well, but I'm giving it another shot with similar, but simplified, goals. Not sure if I'm more suited to the Druids or the Adventurers under the new system... I'm really more of a Cleric. 1) GET UP! At 9am (I have an alarm), get out of bed, take my meds, and stay out of bed. Occasionally I need to get up earlier, in which case it all happens whenever I need to get up. 2) GROUND AND CENTER! After my daily prayers (something I'm already pretty good at keeping up), do a basic grounding and centering exercise. Doesn't have to be fancy or take ten minutes, just has to actually get done. 3) EXERCISE! Between dinner and my night meds alarm (in fact I may set another alarm just for this), do some kind of brief workout. We have a bunch of stuff -- treadmill, exercise bike, various light dumbbells, some kind of TotalGym thing -- around the house that I can use, but I expect to be falling back on jumping jacks fairly often since they need neither equipment, space outside my own bedroom, nor advance preparation. (Note to self: choir rehearsal probably doesn't count, not even when both choirs are rehearsing. You can work out when you get home.) If I've done something that counts earlier in the day, like gone for a hike, or taken advantage of a rare moment of being alone in the house to shake my booty, then I'll probably skip the nighttime thing, but I think that's probably the best time to get the possible sleep-related benefits of exercise, plus it puts the exercise before my shower whether that's at night or in the morning. SIDE QUEST: TAROT CARD STUDY! Paradoxically I have kept this up better when I wasn't involved in a challenge, but now it's starting to become a habit. Keeping it simple, just drawing a card (not with any intention that it's meant to reflect the day or anything), writing down my own impressions, then taking notes from my favored book (Learning the Tarot by Joan Bunning) so they'll stick in my head better. Occasionally I do a three-card reading too; thus far they've been fairly insightful. (And good at telling me to get off my butt. Possibly because I'm using my Hanson-Roberts deck, and while I haven't actually READ with it that much, I've owned it for about 20 years, so it's probably used to my BS by now.) EXTRA SIDE QUEST: POST, YOU FOOL! Post about how I'm doing so I can't hide it if I slack off. Ideally all these things will happen every day, but I'm aiming for getting them done more often than not and not letting missing a day turn into giving up.

I have been lurking on the forum for a while now and finally decided it is time to step out of the shadows and into the light. I ended the year on a pretty sad note and I don't want another year to pass in this same monotonous life. At the end of this year I want my body (and my life) to reflect the person I am inside. So, onward to a new me. My goals for this challenge are as follows: Diet 1: NO CAFFEINE I have done it before and felt so much better after. I swore I wouldn’t get back into that daily habit again, but somewhere along the way I got stuck back in that rut. Time to brush myself off and pull myself out. Diet 2: REDUCE EATING OUT BY 66% (= only 1 meal per day can be from a restaurant) I was going to start with cutting my eating out by half, but I figured by nixing the caffeine in the morning, there is one more meal I am likely to eat in. My first goal will help me complete this one. Fitness: COMPLETE ONE 30 MIN. WORKOUT 5 DAYS PER WEEK I don’t care what I’m doing as long as I am doing something. (Walking, biking, running, hiking, etc.) I’m going to aim for doing the beginner body weight workout twice a week and walk/jog the other days, but I don’t want to lock myself into specific workouts at this point. Level up: DE-CLUTTER/ORGANIZE ONE ROOM That’s it. Just one room. I already have a game plan, now to put it into action.

My Main Quest: Become an Apprentice in the Order of the Keepers Current state: Kid on the street, running messages and picking pockets to keep my ribs form meeting my spine. (Not literally, but you understand, the usual beginner stage) Has anyone played or remember the Theif series? I loved those games so much and that is why I make so many refrences to it. For those who don’t know what I am rambling about, the Thief that I am referring to is Garrett who basically is like Etzio from Assassin’s Creed but doesn’t kill, only breaks into places and steals whatever valuable they have. Trust me, the games are really good even though the first one is now 16 years old. The story is what makes it so good. Specific goals: 1. Keep a handstand for 20 seconds. I will practice it every day for at least 5 minutes – The 28 Day Handstand Challenge. (I started doing them from 1. February and till now, 16.February, my longest stand is 11 seconds and I hope to beat it in 6 weeks and am slowly working my way up to 60 sec. Plus a thief needs great balance and hand strenght to climb those castle walls) 2. Read 250 pages of the Java Object-Orented Problem Solving book and try to do all Self-Study Exercises. So that is about 6 pages per day. If anyone is educated it the Java language then please tell me because I have some questions about the meanings of some of the terms. (An Apprentice needs to be educated in the languages of the system) 3. Complete all the subjects till the third checkpoint in gold, in the Duolingo German language course. (An Apprentice must also be albe to speak to foreighners and invite them to join the Rebellion) My motivation: I want to finally learn a language, both a computer and a national and at the moment I am the farthest that I have ever been with both of them and this time I will NOT give up and start over. I will continue till the end. As for the handstants, again I tried it when I was younger and failed, but my admiration for the ability to do it remained the same so I now want to learn that also once and for all.